Cardiff & South Wales Wedding Photography by Rob Hudson

Rob Hudson

Photographer

How to plan for photography on your wedding day

Location

Where you decide to get married will obviously have an impact on the possibilities and the style of photography you get. That's not to say I wont make the best of any location even in a registry office good photos can be taken, but beautiful locations do help produce beautiful photographs. Indeed there are some fantastic locations that are run by local authorities that cost very little more than a registry office, Cardiff City Hall and Cardiff Castle spring to mind.

Even if you can't go somewhere lovely, either through the need to be close to home or understandable financial restraints, it is always possible to take a trip to a nearby location to get some great photos. That's one option I'll always discuss at your free consolation.

Whatever your decision I always take time prior to the wedding day, to check out locations to make sure we get the best out where ever you choose.

Weather

Sadly in the UK we can't guarantee weather, so one of my first questions to a client is "what is the wet weather fall back plan?". If the sun is shining and you're in a beautiful spot then great, but do take time to consider what the interior space is like at your chosen location(s). And it's not just about how pretty it is inside, some space and somewhere away from interruption or the other guests will always help.

Time

I certainly don't want the photography to dominate your wedding day; you deserve time to spend with your friends and family. However, you should give some thought to how much time you'd like to set aside specifically for photography. If you want a lot of posed photos of just the couple then you will need to take into account the amount of time it takes to get a great photo. If you allow about 4-5 minutes per posed photo you will get the best out of the day. Add to that any additional time it may take to move from location to location. I'll try to be as unobtrusive as possible and allow the bride and groom time together, even find you a seat if at all possible. If you want family and group portraits allow time for them as well maybe not as long for each, but given the time it may take to get everyone together, 4-5 minutes each would not be unreasonable.